I Need a Hero
by leavesfallingup
Summary: Radio DJ Andrea Tower gets saved by a mysterious stranger one morning. In an effort to find her hero, she talks about it on the air… and gets a surprising number of responses. Gary has to find a way to stop the hype before his secret is revealed.
1. Interesting people

**I Need a Hero**

 _Radio DJ Andrea Tower gets saved by a mysterious stranger one morning. In an effort to find her hero, she talks about it on the air… and gets a surprising number of responses. Gary has to find a way to stop the hype before his secret is revealed._

 **Chapter One – You meet the most interesting people in Chicago!**

"You have got to be kidding me!" Gary Hobson groused as he read tomorrow's paper today. He had a plate of eggs and toast in front of him, along with coffee, but the paper had all his attention.

"What's got you riled," Marissa, his partner in McGinty's prompted. It was seven in the morning, so they were the only two people in the bar.

"Listen to this," Gary said, rattling the paper, "Woman killed by falling piano: Andrea Tower, known to Chicagoans as 'DJ Tower,' was killed today while walking from her apartment to her car when a piano fell from above and crushed her. Joseph Brothers Moving Company was delivering the baby grand piano to a fifth floor apartment when the rope snapped, allowing the instrument to plummet to the ground. It is supposed to happen at eight forty-five," Gary rubbed his face. "A piano falling? Isn't that a little cliché?"

Marissa's dog, Spike, rested his head on her lap and she petted the beautiful creature, "Well, Gary, this is Chicago and they still deliver items through windows. After all, a thing only becomes cliché because it happens too often."

"I suppose. Well, after that I have a relatively slow day, so I'll be here to help until around two in the afternoon." Gary polished off his cold eggs and lukewarm coffee and then he stood up and grabbed his coat. "Take care, Marissa."

" _Be_ careful, Gary."

-oOo-

Andrea Tower shivered as she stepped out of her elevator and into the lobby of her apartment building. She was a Texas girl, so these Chicago winters were definitely _not_ her thing. Still, KCHR had recruited her to the prime slot, with a very commensurate salary, so she couldn't complain too much. Besides, Chicagoan's seemed to like DJ Tower's style and she was making quite a name for herself. Perhaps the cold was bearable after all.

She had second thoughts as she stepped out of her building and wrapped her coat more tightly. Walking quickly, she headed for her car. _I wouldn't be going out this early normally, but I forgot to pick up coffee grounds. Food I can do without, but not co…_

Andrea never finished that thought as she became aware of men yelling, the sound of something snapping, and the sudden sensation of being tackled. She felt a large body slam into her and suddenly she was lifted bodily and slammed against the building just as something black and much larger came crashing down from overhead with a discordantly musical impact. Time seemed to move slower as she saw what used to be a piano shatter and hurl piano keys, wires, and splintered wood in every direction. Next she became aware of the fact that even though she had been slammed against a brick wall, she wasn't injured. The person who grabbed her had somehow protected her head and body from the impact. Finally, she became aware that the person was male, larger than average, fit, and smelled good.

"Are you okay?" A pleasant male voice inquired as the man stepped back and looked her over for injuries. He was tall, athletic, and handsome in an All-American boy next door sort of way. She looked at him in stunned bewilderment for a long minute before finding her voice, "uh..uhm… yes… I think?"

The handsome man smiled, "Good. I should go now. Take care." And just like that, the mysterious stranger who had just saved her life walked away.

Andrea Tower became aware of her surroundings as the movers began yelling at each other and others from the neighborhood rushed up to Andrea to ask after her. Only then did she realize that she didn't even know the man's name. When she inquired, nobody in the area seemed to know who the guy was.

Gary arrived back at the bar frustrated. Marissa was blind, but somehow she always knew when Gary entered, "How did it go? Is the lady okay?"

"Fine!" Gary snapped, then apologized, "I chose the wrong cab and almost didn't make it there in time. I got her out of the way, but smashed my knuckles against a brick wall when I protected her head. I'll need to wrap up my hand before helping set up this morning." Excusing himself, he headed up the back stairs to his room.

-oOo-

Radio DJ Andrea Tower arrived for her afternoon shift only slightly shaken. After recovering from her morning shock, she had treated herself to a pastry and mocha at her favorite local shop while pondering her rescuer. She could still see his face in her mind and smell his cologne as she selected her playlist for the show. As she searched through titles, she spotted one song title that made her smile. _Perfect!_

-oOo-

Gary's afternoon adventures went along with none of the glitches of the morning. The last incident was on the other side of town and involved rescuing a boy who attempted to climb a ladder to get a ball out of a roof gutter. It had been an easy rescue, only requiring Gary to retrieve the ball instead, thus preventing a paralyzing fall.

Afterwards he returned to the cab that he had left waiting. While Gary sat back and reviewed his paper for any other issues, the cab driver turned on his favorite radio program. The first song that played was "I need a hero," by Bonnie Tyler. After it played, DJ Tower spoke, "What's up Chicago!? You would not believe the way that I started _my_ morning! Believe it or not, if not for my own personal hero, I would not be speaking to you today, tomorrow, or ever again…"

DJ Tower then told her story. Gary was alarmed at first, but couldn't help but smile when the DJ described him as handsome. He was thankful that he hadn't given this woman his name. Gary returned his attention to his paper, thinking that he was safe, until the calls started coming in. Within moments he knew that he was in trouble.

* * *

 **AN:** _Hi guys. Back in the day Early Edition was one of my favorite TV shows. I always liked the premise, so when I saw that there was a fan fiction category for EE, I had to jump in. I hope that you enjoy. LFU_


	2. A Million Stories in the Windy City

**I Need a Hero**

 _Radio DJ Andrea Tower gets saved by a mysterious stranger one morning. In an effort to find her hero, she talks about it on the air… and gets a surprising number of responses. Gary has to find a way to stop the hype before his secret is revealed._

 **Chapter Two – There are a millions stories in the Windy City**

"… _and then he rushed_ _ **back**_ _into the building, right past the firemen! I thought he was dead for sure! The next thing you know he walks out coughing, all covered with soot, but he's got the little girl all wrapped up in his coat!"_

"That definitely sounds like my man. Thank you caller seven. It's time to play a song now, but please, keep your calls coming," DJ Tower pushed a button and played "One Call Away," by Charlie Puth. She leaned back with a smile and removed her headphones. Her little story had resulted in more calls than the board could handle. In fact it was still lit up now, almost two hours after the beginning of her shift.

There was a light tap on the window. Andrea turned to see her producer standing outside the sound booth with a Cheshire cat grin. She nodded to signal that it was safe to enter and the happy man stepped in, "This is golden! Over a thousand calls so far, Andy! And it gets better still! I took a call from Silvia Wilkins, an ace reporter from the Chicago Sun Times. She wants to interview you and, if this keeps going, wants to partner with us on a series!"

Andrea was about to reply when the counter signaled the approach of the end of the song. Donning her headset, she waited, pushed a button, and began, "Folks, it is definitely hot times in the Windy City. I have time for one more call. A lot of you have been waiting a long time, so hang on the line and our call center will take your name and your story. Also, I'm back on the air starting at eight pm, so please be sure to tune in. I have a feeling that we'll be talking about my handsome hero for quite a while. But first, caller number eight, you're on the line."

" _Hey, Tower, I'm glad you got to me. You won't believe my story. You see…"_

-oOo-

Gary reached over, switched off the radio in his office, and groaned. He rested his face in his hands, "This is a disaster."

"Oh, I don't know, Gary," Marissa replied consolingly, "It doesn't seem so bad. As many people as you have saved, it was only a matter of time before people started comparing notes."

"That's the problem. I didn't give this DJ my name, but I have had to plenty of times. At least one of those callers is going to remember."

Crumb, a former police detective and now McGinty's lead bartender, stepped into the office at the end of Gary's sentence, "You really screwed the pooch this time, Hobson. Have you bought your tickets for parts unknown yet?"

"Zeke," Marissa chided, "You aren't helping matters."

"Hey, I'm just a realist. Golden Boy here just got famous. Hey, I've got a packed house out here and everybody's talking about DJ Tower's _hero._ Tell me, after all the grief this is going to give you, is the lady at least pretty?"

When Gary glared, Crumb grinned, "I'll take that as a 'yes'. Now, children, I could really use some assistance out here."

-oOo-

Gary woke to the now traditional _Meerow [Thump]_ that always signaled the daily arrival of tomorrow's paper. He groaned and pulled the pillow over his head, but a second _Mrrrrow_ reminded him of the inevitability of morning. "Allright, Okay, I'm coming!"

Rising from bed, he shivered when his feet hit the cold floor. Quickly donning slippers and a thick robe, he trudged unenthusiastically to the door. When he opened it a ginger tabby cat walked in nonchalantly and rubbed against Gary. "Good morning to you too. I don't suppose that you arranged for a day off for me?" _Merroow_ "Yeah, I thought not."

Resigned, Gary picked up the paper, closed the door, and began reading as he walked to his small kitchenette. As he continued reading he replenished the cat's food and milk bowls and then he took a seat on a barstool. "Let's see: we have a car crash… a dare gone bad… a fatal bicycle accident… a choking victim… and an L-TRAIN WRECK!? Ahhh, come on. All in one day?"

Disgruntled, Gary turned the page and groaned as he read, " _Good Samaritan, Psychic, or Psycho? Who is this mystery hero?"_ Gary read resignedly, certain that his life was about to become much more complicated. Then the cat meowed again and Gary saw that he was sitting on yesterday's (today's) paper that he had left sitting on his coffee table. Gary rose suspiciously and walked over, only to read "Chicago's Mystery Hero? KCHR DJ Andrea Tower talks about her rescue on-air and opens a floodgate of similar stories."

Gary picked up the paper and took it to his kitchen bar, placing it alongside the newer paper, "This article wasn't there when I went to sleep. What kind of game is the paper playing?" He knew that he wouldn't get any answers from the cat, so he gave up and walked into the bathroom to take his shower.

-oOo-

Andrea Tower grinned as she woke to sun shining into her window. Her evening show had been even more successful than her afternoon gig, with thousands of phone calls pouring in. Her boss was beaming as he sold advertising space for both slots at twice the normal price. DJ Tower already had a loyal following, but now half of Chicago seemed to be tuning in.

Andrea had even been able to slip in the interview with the Chicago Sun Times reporter. That article should be in today's paper! Andrea opened her front door and shivered, but she retrieved her paper from the hallway before retreating back into her apartment. _A Texas girl shouldn't have to be this cold!_

After reading the article while eating and sipping coffee, Andrea dressed for the season and made her way out into the streets, though more cautiously this time around. When she was sure that the sidewalk… and the skies above… were clear, she skipped out into the day. This morning she had an appointment with a hairdresser two blocks down, so she decided to walk the distance.

Stolling cheerily down the sidewalk, she turned the corner just in time to witness a familiar figure as he stepped into the road at the next intersection and motioned for a car to stop. The car honked, irritated at having to stop for a pedestrian at a green light, but immediately afterward a large dump truck hurtled through the red light from the cross street. When the truck was past, the handsome man stepped out of the intersection and on to the sidewalk. Andrea's feet were carrying her quickly toward the man as he pulled out a paper and read from it, but before she could reach him he hailed a cab and climbed in.

 _Who is this guy? Did he KNOW that dump truck was coming?_ Bewildered and bemused, Andrea Tower continued on to her hair appointment.

* * *

 **AN:** Retired Detective Marion Zeke Crumb never knew about the paper, but after years of adversity and friendship with Gary, he did know that Gary had an odd relationship with fate. Crumb even helped Gary with some of his paper-appointed tasks, always demanding and explanation, usually followed by, "You know what Hobson, I don't want to know. I'll sleep better at night not knowing."


	3. Always something happening in Chi-Town

**I Need a Hero**

 _Radio DJ Andrea Tower gets saved by a mysterious stranger one morning. In an effort to find her hero, she talks about it on the air… and gets a surprising number of responses. Gary has to find a way to stop the hype before his secret is revealed._

 **Chapter Three – There's always something happening in Chi-Town**

" _Good afternoon Chi-Town! This is DJ Tower coming at you from KCHR, Chicago's HOT HOT HOT Radio! Believe it or not, I've had another hero sighting, not more than two blocks from my house…"_

Gary flinched and tried his best to be invisible as the bus driver cranked up the volume on his radio. Normally half the bus would have objected, since they had their own favorites, but this afternoon everyone turned their focus on the broadcast. This was especially problematic because he was on the bus specifically to save a choking victim. _How am I supposed to do that with a bus full of people wondering who I am?_

Tyler Rasthof was seated one seat in front of where Gary was standing. He was a college student, always on the run, reading his required text while bopping to KCHR and chuffing down beer nuts. _Any moment now…_ The bus driver slammed on his brakes when a dog ran in front of the bus. Tyler breathed instead of swallowing and suddenly his face contorted. Gary glanced quickly around, but all other eyes were focused outside, laughing as an old lady and a traffic cop chased her dog around the intersection. Moving quickly, Gary lifted the young man, shifted into position behind him, and performed the Heimlich. One… two… three… Tyler expelled the nuts explosively and drew several gasping breaths.

When Tyler finally recovered enough to thank his rescuer, the man was gone. All that he could see was the receding figure of a tall man with dark hair. Tyler scrambled for his cell phone and did a quick Google search for KCHR.

-oOo-

When an L Train is full to capacity, it the conductors call it a "swing load." The six PM blue-line train was definitely a swing load. Thankfully, Gary was not on it. Instead he stood near the spring-and-return-switch where the accident was supposed to take place.

Gary was sporting bruises from two separate incidents. When he went to stop the dare gone bad, he ended up in a tussle with the ones delivering the dare. It turned out that they planned to sabotage the daree, though they hadn't intended it to go as far as it would have without Gary's intervention. When Gary pointed out the rotted support that would have collapsed under the boy's weight, the others relented and scattered.

Stopping the fatal bicycle accident was worse because the woman, a serious tri-athlete, was already hurtling down the hill when he saw her. She had struck a boulder on the side of the park trail while trying to avoid a careless pedestrian and that had rendered her brakes useless. Gary had no choice but to yank her off of her bike before it met the tree that would have killed her. With so many witnesses, Gary had to slip off quickly before he drew any more attention. The L Train was waiting for him.

He stood there now, feeling every bruise as he scanned the article again for more details. As the time for the incident drew near, he heard a truck approaching. A quick look confirmed that the company logo read "Specialty Bearings." _This is it. Maybe if I just distract them long enough…_

The driver pulled the truck to a stop and the passenger door popped open. Before Gary could reach them, the man opened the back to perform some task. The truck was parked with the nose pointing up-slope and, unbeknownst to the company men, the load had come loose… a load of six-inch diameter steel bearings for large construction rigs. Gary groaned as the liftgate went down and the poor worker was suddenly overwhelmed with large, heavy steel balls. Before he could react and close the gate, the weight of the rushing spheres won the day.

Gary reacted quickly, doing his best to stop or redirect the flow, but several got past him and one rolled down the slope and onto the tracks. He knew from the article that the sphere would lodge itself between the switch-rails, thus rendering the tracks out of line when the L Train arrived. With mere minutes to spare, Gary slid down the slope. When he reached the tracks he carefully stepped over the rails and then, using his rubber-soled boots, pushed the heavy bearing away from the switching assembly just before it engaged.

Looking up-slope to see if any more bearings were bearing down on him, he saw instead several people with cameras or smart-phones pointed his way. _Great! Just great!_ Sighing, he turned and proceeded through the field in the opposite direction as the L Train hurtled safely by. He would have to hail a taxi from somewhere else.

As he rode in the back seat back to McGinty's, he got to listen to reports of his exploits all across town. The description of him was becoming more accurate and he noticed the taxi driver examining him in the rear-view mirror. Grinding his teeth, he opened his paper. On the front page the article about him hadn't changed. _Psychic or Psycho? Just wonderful. By the end of the week they'll have me committed. I need to find a way to stop this._

* * *

 ** _AN:_** _I tried to research the L-Train so that I could choose the right switch, etc., but I just couldn't find what was needed. Sorry that the story is necessarily vague. The six-inch ball bearings are real. I used to have one given to me by an uncle in the heavy machine trade. I used it for weightlifting._


	4. You never know who you'll meet

**I Need a Hero**

 _Radio DJ Andrea Tower gets saved by a mysterious stranger one morning. In an effort to find her hero, she talks about it on the air… and gets a surprising number of responses. Gary has to find a way to stop the hype before his secret is revealed._

 **Chapter Four – You never know who you'll meet...**

 _Merrroow [Thump]_ , the signal for another day, more heinous than any alarm clock, woke Gary Hobson. He began to roll over and then groaned as all of his aches and bruises made themselves known. "Ugh… okay, I'm up. This had better be an easier day or I'm moving back to Hickory."

He opened the door and the cat gave him his best innocent look as he brushed against Gary's legs. "Don't think that I believe it for a moment, cat. How did Lucius Snow make it forty years doing this?"

Resigned, Gary bent over gingerly and picked up the paper. As expected, the top article was about him and his exploits. Thankfully there was still no mention of his name. Oddly enough, the paper mentioned that some people remembered him giving his name, but none could actually remember what it was. This third article was less derisive than the second, probably because of the backlash in the editorial section. Chicagoans were notably cynical by nature, but they liked the idea of having their own superhero.

 _Superhero? This just gets worse and worse. Now I'll be blamed for the incidents that I missed. Everyone will expect miracles. I need to try and put a stop to this!_

-oOo-

Andrea Tower sipped her home-brewed coffee and savored the hot liquid in her mouth, the scent wafting into her nose, and the warmth of the cup in her hands. After feeling the delightful rush of the caffeine in her veins, she opened her laptop to check her numbers. She grinned as she read the results: Number One by a landslide! She hadn't begun her broadcast with ratings in mind, but this was still a pleasant side-benefit. Of course she was no closer to finding her man. _Everybody_ seemed to have a story _about_ him, but _nobody_ knew who he was!

Andrea took another sip of her coffee and wondered why she cared so much. After all, she still had Clark waiting for her back in Texas... not that she'd ever actually asked him to wait... but her mother reminded her about him in every phone call. Clark Westerfield; tall, handsome, blond hair, blue eyes, old money... and with a stellar conviction record as a District Attorney he was a rising star in politics. _Everybody knew_ that he would eventually be put forward as governor, maybe even President some day. Lord knew she had attended enough political dinners with him, dressed to the nines and expected to look beautiful and be witty, but only in a saccharine way. It had been one of the reasons that Andrea had jumped at the opportunity to take this job in Chicago. He might be everything most women wanted in a man, but all Andrea could see was the threat of a life spent as a trophy wife.

Morning slightly soured, she closed her laptop, polished off the dregs of her coffee, and pushed back from her desk to get dressed for the day.

-oOo-

On the following morning Gary stared in shocked disbelief at the full-page photo and article gracing the top of his paper. There he was, in full-color, carrying a woman away from a car crash scene. The headline read: _Mystery Hero Revealed!_ Gary winced, recognizing the woman as the same Andrea Tower who was currently making his life difficult. She was bleeding from her forehead and one arm was cradled in a way that suggested it was broken. Behind them in the photo several cars were piled up in a mangled, smoking mess and other people appeared injured.

 _Great! Just great! I can't ignore a crash this big, but I already know that somebody will be there to film the whole event!_ Resigned, Gary bent took a seat on the couch in his flat and began reading. Carl, the cat, hopped up beside him and regarded him with that intensive stare that always said, "Well, what are you going to do about it?" Gary glared at him, "Don't ask me. You _could_ be a little helpful here once in a while." The cat twitched his tail once and then curled into a ball to sleep, effectively ending the conversation.

Gary read on: _While heading home from her daily broadcast, radio celebrity DJ Andrea Tower was driving through the intersection of North Milwaukee, West North, and North Damon when another car ran a red light and T-boned her car, pushing her car into several others and resulting in an eleven car pile-up. Out of nowhere the man who matches the description of the "Mystery Hero" currently featured in DJ Tower's daily broadcast appeared and began helping. In moments he was moving crash victims to safety, including extracting Andrea Tower from her smoking vehicle (see headline photo). Shortly after this picture was taken, the mystery man once again faded into the crowd..._

"Great! Just great!" Thinking deeply, Gary began searching for ways to prevent the event from taking place at all.

-oOo-

"... and that's it for me, Chicago. Thanks for listening in and for all your calls. It seems that my handsome hero is everywhere at once, but nowhere to be found. Oh well, perhaps I'll meet him in my dreams. Take care, Chicago, it's raining heavy out there and from my window it looks like our fair home is earning the name "Mud City" once again. DJ Tower signing out."

Outside the window of her booth Andrea could see the station staff clapping. Clearly her broadcast had reached number one once again. She smiled and waved back to her beaming producer, then sighed. _Well, Dear Sir Knight, it seems that you've eluded me again. Of course, most of the stories must be about someone else. Nobody could be at the right place and at the right time that many times._

One particular detail in every story stood out: The man always made himself scarce as soon as he had done his task. _Should I be looking for him? I hadn't intended to make my search such a public quest, but things have really snowballed after my first broadcast. Now Pandora's box has been opened and its out of my control._

After exchanging the usual goodbyes, Andrea took the elevator down to the basement to collect her car and head home. _Another night dining alone._ Visions of a handsome face swam in her mind... and it wasn't the face of her boyfriend in Texas. Walking through the crowded, low-ceilinged parking garage, she neared her designated spot and pushed the button, causing the car to flash its lights and emit a trill. Andrea was already planning what she wanted to order for dinner as she drove up the ramp leading onto the busy street.

As usual, downtown Chicago was ridiculously busy at this time of day, both with cars and with pedestrians. Andrea finally managed to find a break in traffic large enough to pull out, but then drove stop-and-go for the next half block. Her radio was already on, tuned to her station, so she was distracted listening to her friend and fellow DJ, Charlene Lewis, or "Char", deliver a quick and humorous update on the news of the day when her passenger door suddenly opened and a large man suddenly occupied the seat. She jerked and blurted, "Wha..." when she recognized her mystery savior from the previous week. The man, dripping from the pouring rain, seemed stressed and slightly embarrassed as he turned to her and rather urgently said, "I'm sorry to jump in your car like this, Miss Tower, but it would be a really bad idea for you to stay on North Damon. Could I persuade you to turn right or left up here and try a different street?"

All manner of frightening scenarios flashed through Andrea's mind, but this strange man had already saved her once and his sincere expression seemed to set her somewhat at ease. Traffic began to inch forward again, giving her a minute to look forward and think before responding, "Are you some kind of psychic or is there something else?"

The handsome man looked decidedly uncomfortable but responded, "Something else. Now will you please turn?" He kept looking down at the half-folded newspaper in his lap, turned so that she couldn't actually see the front page. He was an odd one, but still cute.

She knew that the front page featured the news that Oscar Pritchard, Cubs second baseman and star batter, was leaving the team. "I'm afraid you can read the page all you want, but Pritchard is still going to the Rangers. I have to admit I'm a little torn about who to root for."

The man looked confused, "Pardon?"

"Pritchard? Signing on with the Texas Rangers? Front page news?" He looked at her then glanced down at the paper, then seemed to comprehend.

"Oh. That. Look Miss Tower, would you please turn? After that I promise to get out of the car and leave you alone."

"No!"

"What?!"

"If I turn, you'll get out. If that happens, I probably won't see you again and I'll only hear about you from call-ins. Not going to happen."

"Look, Lady, no offense but right now your broadcast is making my life a misery and putting lives in danger. The last thing I need is my name announced all over the radio." Gary noted with serious trepidation that she drove straight through the intersection without turning. "Please, Ms. Tower, you _need_ to turn right at the next intersection."

"The option to turn left is off the table?" She teased.

"It's a one-way."

"Okay, I'll turn right... If..."

"If what?" Gary asked in frustration.

"If I can feed you dinner tonight." Luckily traffic had begun to move again so she had to focus forward and had an excuse not to meet her passenger's eyes.

Gary looked up from his twentieth re-scan of his paper to look over at his reluctant rescuee. He was not unaware that Andrea Tower was a beautiful woman. Auburn hair, a trim, curvaceous figure, and penetrating light green eyes had lingered in his memory since he had saved her from the plummeting piano. Still... "You want me... to have dinner with you..."

"Is that such a stretch?" Andrea demanded, a little offended by the tone of his question. "What? Am I not you type?"

"Oh, you're my type, but I thought... Nevermind. Look... intersection... Would you please turn... or we'll both regret it."

"Dinner," Andrea stated simply.

"Fine!" Gary answered. Andrea turned right at the intersection... and allowed herself a little smile.


	5. It's goin' down in Chinatown

**Chapter Five – It's goin' down in Chinatown**

Andrea completed her turn and was relieved to note that traffic was lighter. Triumphant in finally finding her man, she glanced over to find him once again scanning his paper. _The man's a little obsessive._ He breathed a sigh of what sounded like relief and Andrea ventured, "So what do you like to eat?"

The handsome guy made a "Um" sound, seeming to glance nervously at the paper, now slightly open to another page. He glanced at her, glanced down, glanced at her, Then in a slightly tentative expression he asked, "Do you like Chinese?"

Twenty-five minutes later found them entering a slightly run-down dim-sum restaurant on Westerfield in Chinatown, an area that Andrea's workmates had suggested that she avoid without a supporting cast of friends. During the drive she had been able to extract the name "Gary" from her passenger, but not his last name. The rest of the journey had begun to make her less enthusiastic about the man who she'd been searching for. She wasn't getting any "pervert" vibes from the man, but "weird" was definitely on the table.

In her early days in college Andrea had met someone with some of the mannerisms of Gary. That girl had also been wary of meeting new people and seemed to always avoid discussing her personal life. They became sort-of friends, but never close. It had later turned out, was part of the witness protection program; something Andrea only learned by seeing a news clip showing the girl as a witness in the trial of a drug-lord. After the trial the young woman disappeared again and Andrea had never seen her since. Gary also had a secret.

They gave their order to a petite oriental waitress who made eyes at Gary, but the man seemed oblivious to the girl's flirtation so Andrea didn't get _too_ annoyed. While they waited they made small talk and seemed to be getting on well, as long as Andrea avoided any questions about Gary's "activities." Their order arrived and looked quite palatable, but Andrea noted Gary's attention fixed on a tired and careworn middle-aged couple entering the restaurant. The woman wore a voluminous bag on her shoulder with a gilt-framed oriental-style painting sticking out of it. Andrea noted Gary looking into his paper again, with an expression of indecision. "Ms. Tower... Andrea, could I borrow a pen?"

Bemused, she extracted a pen from her purse and handed it to him. With a smile that made her breath catch, he took the pen and, looking down at the newspaper, began to meticulously copy Chinese symbols onto a napkin. Once satisfied, he folded his paper, rose, stuck the folded paper into his back pocket, and walked across the room to the couple. Andrea watched in fascination as Gary knelt, seemed to introduce himself, and then carried on a brief but earnest conversation with the couple. He placed the napkin on the table and continued talking and soon the woman carefully pulled the painting out of her bag. She and her husband seemed to examine a portion of the painting, then the napkin, and then the painting. Suddenly both man and woman lept out of their seats in joy, grabbing each other's hands in joy and then, most surprisingly of all, hugging a very embarrassed-looking Gary.

Andrea watched, bemused, as the couple gingerly, almost reverently, replaced the painting in the woman's bag. Then the man insisted on carrying the burden and the couple left the restaurant with the woman carefully following the man, seeming to be hovering over the man's burden. Gary sheepishly returned to the table. "Sorry about that. Where were we?"

"I was eating the dinner we ordered. I'm not entirely sure what you were doing, but whatever it was seems to have made that couple happy. Care to explain?" She raised an eyebrow inquisitively but Gary was saved from proving details temporarily when a nattily dressed man strolled into the restaurant. The man scanned the room expectantly, shrugged, then took a seat at the same table that the couple had vacated. Gary's eyes followed the man but then promptly turned his attention to his food before the man could meet his eyes. "So... Andrea Tower... what made you want to move from Dallas to Chicago?"

Andrea recognized the question as misdirection to avoid answering her own previous question, but was content to watch the ongoing mystery drama unfold. She explained about her new DJ job and how it represented a significant leg-up in the radio industry. She only briefly touched on the real reason, saying, "I had other reasons... but mostly I needed a change."

Andrea noticed that Gary seemed completely relaxed now, not touching the paper in his back pocked once. In fact, as they finished their meal she was finding her dinner companion to be quite charming. She was pleased to find that he was actually a small-town boy, just as she had been a small-town girl prior to taking up her career in Dallas. They talked about many similar experiences, including the difficulty of adjusting to a big-city mentality. He was still noticeably avoiding providing a lot of specific details about himself, but Andrea was now confident that she would eventually earn his trust and break down his barriers.

Meanwhile Andrea noted that the dapper diner who had last entered was becoming increasing agitated, checking his watch and phone repeatedly. Andrea and Gary rose when the bill was presented. He tried to insist on paying but she was firm, "I invited you to dinner. The next time you invite me and I'll let you pay." She was surprised at her own forward boldness, but she liked Gary and really wanted to get to know him better. He rewarded her with a grin and desisted, saying, "You have a deal. How about a Cubs game?"

They were bantering back and forth, arguing over baseball teams as they left. Andrea barely noticed the other restaurant diner as he yelled into his phone.

It was darker now as Andrea drove out of the parking lot and headed back toward downtown. After several long minutes of driving in the rain, Gary spoke, "Andrea, I like you, but I need you to stop talking about me on the radio. It is making my life... complicated."

She remained silent for several long minutes before replying, "You're not going to tell me how you knew that piano was going to fall, are you? Or what you told that couple that made them so happy? Or how so many people have stories about you appearing at the last minute and saving them?"

It was his turn to be silent. Finally he said, "You wouldn't believe me if I did tell you. It would be best if you could accept that I'm just at the right place at the right time... I can't really say more."

The car continued on in the dark, rainy night until Andrea reached the intersection where Gary had asked her to drop him off to collect his own car. Before he could open the door she asked, "Do I have to wait to see you again until March? I hear my team is coming to stomp your boys at Wrigley Field early in the season... but I really hope I don't have to wait that long." Her gaze was sincere and Gary looked back at her. It was clear there was an undeniable mutual attraction between them. She was beginning to worry before he replied, "As soon as the hype about me tones down, I'll check in with you. Right now if people see us together things will only escalate." And with that he was out of the door and disappearing into the dark.

-oOo-

On the following morning Andrea lingered in bed longer than usual, the memory of the previous evening and her interaction with Gary playing on a constant loop in her head. She went through her usual morning routines, exchanged her usual greetings with the usual people, and made her way to work by her usual route. The only deviation from her usual routine, other than her distraction about Gary, was the phone call from her mother demanding that she fly back to Texas for the holidays.

The incident with the couple in the restaurant would have completely slipped from her mind if Susan, her assistant for news and information, hadn't excitedly passed on one hot news item, "You won't believe this, Andrea. This morning this Chinese couple took a painting to the Art Institute that has been in their family for generations. It turns out that it was from a famous painter of the Ming Dynasty, back in the 1400's, and it's worth _millions!_ And get this, they were just about to sell it to some local shyster appraiser for a thousand dollars _so they could pay their rent_ this month! I guess some guy tipped them off to the painting's true value at the last minute and now they're going to be rich!"

Andrea was grateful that she was sitting down when Susan passed on this bit of news, because otherwise her legs wouldn't have held her. _He KNEW! He somehow KNEW! Who IS THIS GUY?_

There were still fifteen minutes before her broadcast slot. Enough time for her to sit and ponder until her head spun. She _could_ tell the story, adding her own private information, but if she was confused, imagine the storm her information would create throughout Chicago. Suddenly Andrea realized just how volatile and dangerous the truth could be. Gary would be found and would be hounded by every gambler, speculator, and nut-job out there... and there were a lot of nut-jobs in a city this big. He would never have a moment's peace again.

When the time came for her show to begin, Andrea began with her now usual "I need a hero," but when it finished, she said, "Hello Windy City! DJ Tower here. All this past week we've been talking about my personal hero, but I've come to realize that there are a _lot_ of heroes out there... most of them ordinary people who, at particular moments of need or danger, do extraordinary things. So today instead of focusing on just one handsome guy who caught my fancy _,_ I'd like to hear from you about other people who _you_ consider to be heroes. The lines are open folks and I'd love to hear your stories. Like the man say's, "I knows dis guy who done dis thing, see."

Sitting at McGinty's Bar, scanning his paper for his next task, Gary Hobson looked up at the radio and smiled. gratefully. Then he took a few minutes away from his paper in order to make a call and buy tickets  
to the Cubs/Rangers game in March.

In the little town of Granbury, Texas Mrs. Lila Ann Tower spent the afternoon preparing the evening meal for her husband and dinner guests. As she worked she schemed on the best way to get her daughter and Clark Westerfield married off. _Andrea is being foolish! Clark's a handsome, wealthy, accomplished man with a promising future, but here my wayward girl is toiling away in that dirty northern city playing radio DJ. When I get her home for Christmas I'm going to hogtie the girl and keep her in Texas where she belongs!_


	6. If you're gonna play in Texas

**Chapter Five – If you're gonna play in Texas...**

Gary had experienced one of his busiest days on December 18th and so he slept deeply that night. He had saved a family whose tree would have caught fire. He kept an elderly woman from choking to death on Marzipan. He guided the police in catching a Christmas package thief. He slipped a winning lottery ticket into the hands of an orphanage director when the building was about to be repossessed. And he had almost gotten into a fight with Santa's elves and the mothers of waiting children when he tried to get everyone off of a make-shift North Pole stage in the mall which would have collapsed, injuring Santa, four elves, two mothers and five children. He deserved a rest...

Which was only partly the reason that he didn't immediately pick up the paper after opening his door to allow that troublesome cat into his apartment... but not the main reason.

The main reason was that there were now _two_ newspapers on the floor outside his door, _not_ one.

Gary stared.

He glared back at the cat who was unconcernedly lapping from a bowl of milk.

He looked back at the unfamiliar paper which was partially covering the Chicago Sun-Times. Leaning at an odd angle to read the header properly, he found that it read _The Dallas Morning News_.

Gary groaned... and then resignedly picked up both papers.

Setting the Texas paper aside, he focused with determination on the Sun-Times. He had discovered only minor problem after reading the first five pages but he pressed on until, with a sort of growl, Carl the cat walked right onto the paper, laid down, and peered right into Gary's eyes. Gary glared back, but finally sighed, "Fine! I'll read it! But this better not become a habit! One paper is already too much." Carl stared back at him, unmoved and unmoving.

Gary got up, refreshed his coffee from the pot, and then, like a man going to his own execution, reached for the Dallas Morning News. He didn't need to look long before discovering the article that most likely required his attention. After all, right there on the top-fold of the front page there was a photo of Andrea Tower attempting to cover her face while standing next to a tall, handsome man who was in the middle of being handcuffed. The headline read: _"Strike Two for District Attorney Clark Westerfield. Rejected and Arrested"_

 _Clark Westerfield, noted District Attorney for Tarrant County, proposed proposed to his long-term girlfriend Andrea Tower at St. Martin's Wine Bistro and was rejected. The couple were in the middle of a heated argument when Dallas Police stepped in and arrested the DA for crime related to the illegal handling of evidence, court-fixing, and accepting bribes. Although at this time the full account of charges has not been published, it is believed that all charges are related to the case of Senator Luke Bower (Dem.), who was declared not-guilty in the rape of former intern, Casey Bell. Senator Bower has been a mentor to Westerfield and one of his strongest proponents in pushing Westerfield forward in the upcoming elections for Congress._

 _Andrea Tower was formerly mentioned often as the woman behind the man in Westerfield's rise. More recently, however, she has been working as a top DJ at KCHR, Chicago. Ms. Tower refused to make any comments regarding her proposal rejection or her former suitor's sudden arrest..._

Gary swiped his fingers through his hair, wanting to step back from this, but another look at the beleaguered but beautiful face of Andrea Tower made hims expel a breath in resignation. He looked at Carl, who was still contentedly laying on the Sun-Times. "How am I supposed to do anything about this? She's in _Texas!_ Even if I could get there, it wouldn't be in time to prevent anything. It's the Christmas Season. There won't be any flights!"

The cat merely looked at him and then licked a paw. Gary took another drink and then his eyes caught the date on the top of the paper. It wasn't tomorrow's paper. It was dated _two_ days from today. Gary sighed, "Fine. I'll try."

Carl got up from his perch and pranced away, tail flitting in triumph. Gary stared down at the Sun-Times at an advertisement stating, "Red-Eye Commuter Flights for less with Destiny Airlines. Chicago to New York. Chicago to Dallas/Fort Worth. Chicago to Los Angeles."

-oOo-

Andrea fought the urge to roll her eyes as her mother continued on with extolling the many and various virtues of Clark Westerfield. She was also fighting unreasoning dread because her mother had mentioned marriage in one form or other three times thus far in her monologue. Phrases such as "and when you two get married," "as Mrs. Westerfield," and "Clark will be the ideal son-in-law" were making Andrea nervous. _Does she know something that I don't? Clark has been very closed-mouthed about this date tonight and Mother insisted on taking me dress shopping. Surely he won't propose after I've been so clear about not wanting to take any permanent steps this year? Then again, when has Clark Westerfield ever listened to anybody but Clark Westerfield?_

"I need to go take a shower and get dressed, Mother," Andrea interjected, finally bringing a halt to her mother's strident speech. Lila Ann Tower grinned triumphantly as her daughter disappeared into the bathroom. Tonight her daughter would be engaged. Then it would be time to plan the biggest wedding Texas had ever seen!

Andrea managed to avoid any further "guidance" from her mother through the means of a prolonged shower, extensive time spent dressing, and then maintaining a close proximity to her father. Lewis Tower was a successful executive in a profitable but not prestigious business. He had provided his wife and daughter with a nice home in a very respectable neighborhood and was content... even though his wife was not. Andrea was more of his mindset and found no attraction in becoming one of the gilded families. Unfortunately Clark was not only from one of the wealthiest families, but he wanted more... much more. He wanted to make his name and his family name as famous as the Kennedys, the Rockefellers, or the Roosevelts... and he couldn't understand that Andrea did not want the same.

-oOo-

Gary read and re-read the news article until the whine of the jet's engines and the dark inside the passenger cabin took their toll. He woke as the wheels touched down at Dallas/Fort-Worth, rubbing his eyes and feeling foolish. He half-expected a thump, a cat, and another newspaper, but since the one in his hands was still tomorrow's news... albeit for Texas, not Illinois, nothing arrived.

 _I don't have her phone number. I don't have her parent's address. And I don't have a clue how to get to her before this dinner! What am I even doing here?_

Gary only had a small backpack carry-on, so disembarking was quick and painless. DFW was a large and spacious airport. Though the place was crowded with holiday travelers it had little of the frantic and stressed feeling of Chicago Ohare, where travelers this time of year were always waiting for the next snow storm to shut the place down. Unfortunately, Gary was not one of the less-stressed.

In order to make this flight he had needed to call in his parents, two of the very few people in-the-know about his newspaper, to come and substitute for him. Unfortunately his parent's help was a mixed blessing. More often than not when they became involved it meant more work later for Gary, not less... and he still didn't know how to help Andrea Tower... or even why _he_ was required to do this. Sure, she was a beautiful woman who had show particular interest in him, but he had already found from painful experience that dating a media personality was fraught with insurmountable problems.

Gary managed to hail a taxi after competing with a crowd of others and hopped in. "Where to, Bud?" the cabbie prompted, startling Gary with his undeniable Chicago accent. "Umm..." Gary read the marked spot on the article, "St. Martin's Wine Bistro."

The cabbie whistled, "Posh place. Hope you have reservations... but it won't be open for another few hours. No breakfast hash at that place, Buddy." He signaled and was soon out in traffic, "Say, do I hear a Prairie-State accent there?"

Gary looked up from his reading and smiled for the first time in many hours, "Sure. And you sound like a man who knows the quickest route to Wrigley Field."

"Ya Betcha! Say, you hear that turncoat Pritchard is coming here today. Supposed to sign with the Rangers in some big to-do tomorrow. You wouldn't have anthin' ta do with that, would'ja?" His friendly tone sounded slightly hostile and suspicious.

Gary shook his head, "No. Don't know how to stop it either, though. Shame too. Oscar's been a great batter since clear back..." Gary stopped in thought, then flipped his Dallas paper over to the Sports Pages. Right on the front sports page he found the ceremony that the cabbie was talking about. Gary recognized Oscar Pritchard right away, mostly because the baseball star looked like his big brother Tommie, one of Gary's rival during his own high school baseball stardom. Though rivals on the field, Tommie and Gary had become friends after several baseball camps, including one where Gary took young Oscar under his wing and taught him how to slide safely. _Oh well, I'm pretty sure that the paper didn't bring me here to keep Oscar from signing with the Rangers. Oh well. Bet Tommie had something to say about that._

The cabbie had noticed his passenger's sudden inattention but shrugged it off. Chicagoans weren't exactly known for their courtesy, but he didn't mind. It was nice to hear someone speak properly again. Ten minute more found the cab slowing to a stop in front of the restaurant, "Here ya are: St. Martin's Wine Bistro. An' here's my card. You need another ride and I'm nearby, I'll get'cha there."

Gary looked down at the card, "Thank's for the ride, Phil. Don't stay away from home too long."

Gary saw that the restaurant was indeed closed. He reconnoitered the area, but couldn't come up with any clear plan as of yet, so he took a seat at a small diner nearby and enjoyed a Texas-sized breakfast. With nothing better to do, he scanned for other articles and groaned when his perusal revealed several incidents that might need intervention.


End file.
